


In which Keith has always known he's not quite human

by WordsmithingArtist



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (sort of), 5+1 Things, Autistic Keith (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Keith needs therapy, Keith's not gonna be either human or purple, Paladins as friends, Protective Voltron Paladins, That's Not How This Works, Unreliable Narrator, broganes, except I got carried away, internalized ableism, let's talk about how hybrid genetics aren't an all or nothing thing!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:29:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28782015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsmithingArtist/pseuds/WordsmithingArtist
Summary: He's just never had an answer as to why. Or, rather, he didn't. Not until he got shot up into space and found his mother’s people.Alternatively: Seven things Keith knows about his body that isn't normal and three things that others point out to him.
Relationships: Keith & Krolia (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 101
Kudos: 271





	1. Exhibit A

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic came about because I'm a little annoyed at how everyone portrays Galra Keith. And I mean everyone, including the creators! See I may not know much about genetics, but I do know that a hybrid species isn't going to be completely like one parent and not the other. Nor are they likely to have a lot of latent genes that will actually work when hit with magic, illness, stress, or puberty. But that's how Keith's mostly portrayed--by creators and fans alike. It drives me nuts. So this fic is an exploration of ten things that Keith could feasibly inherit from his mom without changing much of his canon abilities or appearance. I'll put more details about each trait at the end.
> 
> Just FYI, the scenes are in no particular order, so it may feel fragmented. That's on purpose.
> 
> CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: a brief reference to child abuse

The first time Keith realizes there’s something different about his eyes, he’s still reeling from the blow his foster mother gives him. He curls tight into the corner of the hallway as she paces the kitchen, still in her bathrobe, ranting to the social worker about his “demon eyes.”

“He’s something from a horror movie, is what he is! All silent and ghostlike with glowing eyes. I found him standing by my bed in the dark in the middle of the night. So, yeah, I’m not keeping a kid like that! I don’t care if it’s 2:30 in the morning, just take him away and lock him up somewhere where he can’t creep on others!”

The eight-year-old curls tighter, biting his hand to keep from crying. All he had wanted was someone to hold him as the last moments of his flame-filled nightmare faded. He hadn’t meant to spook her.

\-------------

In retrospect, this is probably why his dad had always jumped if Keith snuck up on him in the dim lighting. His dad really hadn’t had very good eyesight in the dark.

\-------------

….It turns out… No one but him has good eyesight in the dark.

\-------------

It only takes a couple freakouts like his first fosters for him to learn to keep his eyes averted and head ducked in dim lighting and for photographs. It helps that he keeps his hair as long as he can get away with, especially the bangs. It gets him in trouble a couple of times with fosters or school dress codes, but it’s a much better option than people realizing just how weird his eyes really are. 

\---------------

(He definitely doesn’t mention how well he can see in the dark. That’s just asking for trouble. He’s been called a thief plenty of times and people knowing about his ability to get around in the dark would only make them think that he’s even better at it than he already is.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this trait is pretty self-explanatory. He can see pretty well in the dark. I got the idea from a Tumblr post I saw, but I can't find it right now, so I can't credit it. As soon as I find it again, I'll add it.
> 
> If you have comments or questions, please post them. I love hearing from my readers, so long as everyone is polite about it. Also, if anyone feels like taking some of these snippets and turning them into full-length fics or artwork, I'd be so thrilled! Just please add a comment with a link if you do because I definitely want to see it!
> 
> Next up: "Keith gets lucky. He loses his first adult tooth in the desert."


	2. Exhibit B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNINGS FOR CHAPTER: mild gore I guess? It's not described a lot, but if you have a very vivid imagination, it could be icky.

One would think that for all the fights Keith has been in, he’d have lost an adult tooth earlier. Or at least caused enough damage that one of the better foster families would have taken him to a dentist.

But, no. Keith gets lucky. He loses his first adult tooth in the desert. 

It starts with the call; which prickles in his ears and down his spine and tugs at his fingertips and leads him through several small ravines and cliffs before he encounters any of the carvings that resonated with that feeling. He comes at it from different angles, at different times of day, yet finds nothing but cave art.

He even tries ignoring it, until it’s an all-consuming need, which is how he ends up here, bruised, bloodied, and at the bottom of a ravine. The tug is thrumming under his skin worse than adrenaline now and he doesn’t even notice the twisted ankle or the loose tooth until he’s found the next set of carvings, half an hour later. Walking back is torture, but at least the call seems….apologetic? Yeah, he isn’t going to think too hard about that one.

Supper is also a pain, especially since he’s down to protein bars and jerky until his ankle heals a bit. But, well, two bites in, and the taste of iron floods his mouth and pain flares through his jaw. He spits out the molar, waits for the bleeding to stop, and finishes his food. He can’t afford to waste anything out here. 

\------------

That should have been the end of it, but with all the other odd things about his body and the way his canines were already unusual, he really should have expected something like this.

\--------------

So, it turns out, his jaw doesn’t stop aching, even after the tooth is gone. There’s a day when the gum is tender and bloody. Then it’s swollen and twinging down to the jaw. By the third day, he eyes his gums for infection or something, but it’s not like he’s been taught much about taking care of his body so he’s not quite sure what to look for.

The fourth day brings more swollen gums, with hints of blood. But strangest of the strange, the gap in his teeth has a small sharp point emerging from it. A chill sinks into his bones. Is this some sort of bone fragment? Did he mess up his jaw even worse?

He takes it easy that day, hoping rest will solve (or at least not aggravate) the issue since he can’t exactly afford to go to a dentist about it. But the pain flares high that night, aching almost as bad as that time he broke his arm in three places. Tears coat his cheeks and he tries not to clench his jaw from the pain, but it all hurts, hurts, hurts.  
The pain finally eases right before dawn and he shakes and sobs himself to sleep, wishing above all wishes that he still had Shiro or Adam to turn to. He barely registers the thrum of the call singing him a lullaby as he drifts off.

When he wakes, the first thing he notices is the lack of pain. Yeah, there’s still a little soreness in the gums, but after last night, that feels like nothing. Wary but curious, he goes to the dingey, cracked mirror in the bathroom to see if the sharp thing is gone now. 

His stomach swoops. The sharp bit hadn’t been a bone shard. It had been a new tooth! Had he been missing an adult tooth all this time? Or was this another weird thing his body did? Based on the slight point to its tip, he guesses that it’s the latter. He grimaced. Yet another thing to keep track of.

(At least it’s convenient for keeping him out of a dentist’s office.)

\---------------

Imagine if he had lost the tooth around other people, he realizes later. Not only would his peers have called him vampire and werewolf, but they’d have called him a shark too. And the fosters or the Garrison! What sort of testing would they have put him through?

No, it’s a good thing it happened in the desert. Now he knows that he’s gotta keep lost teeth hidden too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, Keith'll grow back new teeth every time he loses one. If you're wondering why it grows back so quickly, I imagine that Galra get their new teeth quickly so that they're not defenseless, but that it takes longer for it to...solidify? Ocify? Anyway, something like how kids' bones aren't nearly as sturdy as adult bones. Does that make any sense?
> 
> I was first introduced to the idea of Keith losing adult teeth in a couple of fics whose names I can't remember. However, most of those fics were about him becoming more Galra in appearance, and that's not the direction I wanted to take this.
> 
> (EDIT 1/17/21: I found the fics that inspired this chapter! More things in heaven and earth (than are dreamt of in your philosophy class) by temerarious and Now Show Me a Smile by AprilDoorKnob are the main ones that inspired this idea, although Kafka's Revenge by Bellybits was probably one of the first to get me thinking about Keith losing adult teeth. Thanks so much, Undercamel_of_Pluto, for helping me find these!)
> 
> Again, if you have comments or questions, I'd love to hear them! And any and all fics and art inspired by this fic are super welcome. I'd love to see them!
> 
> Next up: "It wasn’t that he thought most people would stab him in the back, it was just that people made no sense, whatsoever."


	3. Exhibit C

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn’t that Keith thought most people would stab him in the back, it was just that people made no sense, whatsoever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: brief mention of authority figures disliking or neglecting a kid, potential eating issues, and a non-descriptive mention of a burning body.

Keith doesn’t really hang out with other people. “Abandonment issues,” his teachers and social workers called it. “Socially awkward,” Adam would say with a sympathetic smile. Keith didn’t think that was quite right, but he didn’t really know how to put it into words. It wasn’t that he thought most people would stab him in the back, it was just that people made no sense, whatsoever.

Shiro actually comes closest to describing it: “You just prefer straightforwardness and honesty, which is something a lot of people struggle with. That’s not a bad thing.”

That isn’t quite the truth, but how can Keith say that people’s words and actions never match their scents? A teacher would smile at him, but smell like rotten, burning anger underneath; a foster parent would scold their kid for messing with him, but a cloying cloud of doubt and love would prove that they didn’t really care about Keith, not in the way they cared about their blood children (after all, he’s the weirdo who keeps getting kicked out, not them).

Crowds are even worse! Too much noise, too many scents, too much contradicting information. The less he has to deal with lots of people, the better.

\-------------------

The weirdness doesn’t stop there, of course. He’d already learned in kindergarten that people didn’t like when he pointed out what food smells they carried on themselves from breakfast or the emotions they didn’t want to name. But it’s even worse the first time his first foster mom cooks meat. She doesn’t understand what prompts the sudden puking and crying, but then, nobody else seemed to have been affected by the scent of his dad’s burning body on that horrible, horrible night.

\---------------------

Even now, ten years later and in the middle of a space war, he still wants to gag at the thought. 

\-------------------

Emotional scents make dealing with Lance interesting. He can always smell the bitter insecurity that leaks from the blue paladin, sometimes so strong that it drowns out all other scents. It seems to be especially bad if Keith, Shiro, or Allura are around, but while Shiro and Allura can do something to ease Lance's self-worth issues, nothing Keith tries works. 

So Keith takes to giving him space. If his presence causes Lance problems, he’ll just stay away. But he never ignores him when they’re in the same area. He can’t. He’s smelled how much Lance hates being ignored by others. They are teammates now; Keith can do this much at least.

\--------------------

He keeps his mouth shut, watches body language and listens to tone, avoids the kitchens during meal prep, and calls himself a vegetarian. It’s not perfect, but it works.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this trait isn't directly inspired by anything. The closest inspiration I can think of is that I read way too many fics about non-human characters with really good senses and this ability comes up a fair bit. But, yeah, he can smell things way too well.
> 
> (If you're wondering about the science behind this one, let's just go with the idea that humans haven't figured out emotions have smells bc nothing on Earth is quite sensitive enough to smell them--or at least they can't smell them well. Meanwhile, there are probably plenty of alien species that can.)
> 
> If you have comments or questions, I'd love to hear them. (I'd also love to see any fics or art that this inspires!) :)
> 
> Next up: "Wearing a helmet is an interesting experience for Keith. It pinches at his ears, flattens them, muffles everything until it feels like he’s underwater. He hates it."


	4. Exhibit D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wearing a helmet is an interesting experience for Keith. It pinches at his ears, flattens them, muffles everything until it feels like he’s underwater. He hates it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is one of the only chapters where I sort of stretch Keith's canon appearance (it's still really minor though!).
> 
> CONTENT WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER: implications of bullying, racism, and homophobia (it's literally just a couple sentences and it's only alluded to, but still...) and (if you're reading between the lines) a mild reference to a preteen/teen overhearing two adults making out or having sex.

He doesn’t have a mullet. It doesn’t matter what Lance says, he doesn’t have one. It’s not his fault none of his guardians liked letting him keep his hair long and he keeps having to grow bad cuts out again. He needs to keep his ears covered.

Fortunately, his ears are less weird than some of his other features. They’re not _really_ weird and they don’t do anything too creepy. It’s just that they’re a bit...large. And pointed. Again, not too much, but enough to get teased a bit. They’re nearly as large as the palms of his hands and they stick out a lot.

So he keeps his hair long. It’s thick enough to make his ears look smaller.

\-----------------------

His dad used to call him his little sand cat and ruffle his hair. If they went out exploring, he’d always ask what Keith would hear. 

He misses those days.

\---------------------

But when he tells his fourth-grade teacher that he heard Bailey invite Hana out to the spot where all the dangerous teenagers hung out, Miz Arnelle just scolds him. Tells him not to spy on the girls and not to tell fibs. After all, everyone knows that Bailey wouldn’t be hanging out with a drifter’s kid. 

Which. Was. the. _Point!_ Bailey doesn’t like anyone that doesn’t look like her, act like her, or believe like her. Why was she suddenly talking to Hana, who everyone _knows_ has a crush on her, only to ask her out to a place Bailey would never dare go?

\------------------

Wearing a helmet is an interesting experience for Keith. It pinches at his ears, flattens them, muffles everything until it feels like he’s underwater. He hates it.

But Shiro insists he wears it on the hoverbike and, later, Keith has to wear it into battle. It still bugs him. 

\-----------------

(At least the altean helmets slowly adjust to the paladins’ needs. But that doesn’t make the sound any less muffled and distorted.)

\------------------

His ears twitch too. There’s a reason his dad told him to keep the ears covered. They don’t move much, but if there’s a lot of sound, they will prick or flatten just a bit.

\--------------------

He’s never been able to sleep much around people he doesn’t know. If he doesn’t have familiar noises, there’s no way he’s getting to sleep. And if someone snores or sleep talks in the next room over, he’s wide awake to hear it.

Rooming at the Garrison is a little better. The rooms are a bit more soundproof for studying purposes. His roommate is considerate enough, and Keith manages to get by on the five hours a night that Laurens is quietly asleep. 

(Staying as Shiro and Adam’s on the other hand… Yeah, it’s a good thing Keith’s comfortable enough there to feel safe wearing headphones to bed.)

\--------------------

He never does find out if things went well for Hana. He got moved a week later. But at least he learned his lesson: people don’t want to hear what they don’t want to hear. There’s no point in mentioning anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know in the show, we can clearly see the tops of Keith's ears and they're definitely not pointed, but still. It was too good an opportunity to miss. 
> 
> I didn't get the idea of Keith having good hearing from any specific source, either. I'm pretty sure the fandom has collectively decided that Galra have good hearing, so literally any fic about Keith having Galra traits tends to have good hearing as one of them. 
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter. We're nearing the halfway point in the fic and it's only gonna get more interesting from here. If you have comments or questions, I'd love to hear from you. And definitely let me know if you've got fics or art about any of these scenes! :)
> 
> Next up: "Before the Garrison, his hair was always long. Not down-to-the-waist long—no foster would let him do that—but at least nearly shoulder-length."


	5. Exhibit E

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the Garrison, Keith's hair was always long. Not down-to-the-waist long—no foster would let him do that—but at least nearly shoulder-length.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters! :)
> 
> CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: None

Before the Garrison, his hair was always long. Not down-to-the-waist long—no foster would let him do that—but at least nearly shoulder-length. Iverson threatens to make him repeat a year if he doesn’t follow regulation.

Skin crawling, chest rumbling, he spends an anxious night reading the regulations backward and forward until he’s certain he can do this. By 0600, he’s in front of his dorm mirror, knife in hand. He slices carefully, artfully, arranging layers to hide his eyes and ears while still technically being just an inch under the maximum length for male cadets. 

It’s a choppy mess that floofs around his head. At least he’s got enough conditioner to fix this.

\--------------

It’s not until he’s eleven that he figures out how to tame the thick fluffy mane that is his hair. It’s too fuzzy and light to keep short—not without looking like a dandelion instead of a kid. It’s too thick and heavy to let it grow very long. And it’s definitely, definitely, too oddly textured.

Zhara is a huge help. She’s the oldest foster kid in that particular home at the time and she takes the rest under her wing. It takes a week before she’s handing him a bottle of conditioner and instructions on how to use it. “Don’t skimp,” she tells him. “Your hair feels way too coarse. Like fur or something.”

\-----------------

He’s not quite sure why the length is a problem for the Garrison if they don’t have a problem with the color. But then again, none of his foster parents had a problem with the color either, even the ones that said blues and purples were unnatural. And he’s so glad he never gathered the courage to challenge them on that, all things considered…

\------------------

Dousing it in conditioner at the Garrison isn’t a great choice. Now his hair is always a bit too greasy looking and, paired with what some of his fellow students call a mullet and is really more of an odd shaggy bowl cut, makes him look even more like a rebel or a charity case. 

Daily showering isn’t great in another sense. It’s torture on his skin, especially his scalp. But dry shampoo and conditioner don’t tame the fluff, so he just has to deal with it.

\-----------------

“Paladins,” Allura asks one day. “How is it that only Keith and Shiro have multicolored hair? Is it some sort of ethnic feature? Or artistic display?” 

The other paladins are spluttering and staring at Keith.

“Allura,” Shiro says, hesitantly. “Keith’s hair is just black. One shade.”

Keith goes still. Shiro wouldn’t pretend about something like this. He knows Keith doesn’t like people talking or joking about him being different. If he says Keith’s hair is black, then the only color Shiro sees in it is black.

(His older brother can’t see the streaks of violet and navy that highlight the bottom of Keith’s hair.)

\------------------

At least in the desert, he doesn’t have to waste time, money, and water on daily showers or conditioners. His skin stops itching so much and his hair goes back to being a mess. But he’s growing it out again so it’s fine.

\-------------------

It turns out that Alteans have ten types of photopigments, not three like humans. They can see thousands of shades that will never exist to the human eye.

\-----------------

….Yeah….it also turns out that Keith can see some of those invisible shades. 

(That explains a lot.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, to explain. Keith's hair is more furish than hairlike (think a little bit like a fluffy pony's mane, which is technically hair, but is too coarse and fluffy by human standards). This concept comes from the fact that lots of Galra clearly have fur, but some of the furred ones also have hair, so it's probably a bit like how horses have both fur and hair. (The dry skin from shampoo comes from the fur theory too. Lots of furred creatures need gentler soap produces to keep their skin from itching. Oatmeal-based ones are usually good.)
> 
> Keith's hair also got shades of colors that human eyes translate as "dark, probably black" but actually aren't. I figure that Galran eyes can see more shades of blues and purples (maybe some reds too). This is why they light their buildings in purple lighting; it lets them see more color differences that way (and thus, more detail).
> 
> This idea is completely mine! I can't think of a single fic that's made Keith's hair a bit more fur-like in texture, and I most certainly have never seen one that gives him highlights that humans can't see. (Yes, I know that technically the extra photopigments could classify as their own section, but it fit better as part of this one.)
> 
> I'd love to know what ya'll think about this concept. Did I portray it okay? (Fanart and inspired fics are always welcome too!)
> 
> Next up: "It’s not even like Keith wants his nails short. The first time his dad filed them too short, Keith didn’t stop crying for a week. (He doesn’t remember this.)"


	6. Exhibit F

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s not even like Keith wants his nails short. The first time his dad filed them too short, Keith didn’t stop crying for a week. (He doesn’t remember this. His dad tells him the story later.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE END!
> 
> CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: mild reference to child neglect/abuse (mostly implied), subtle hints at a very paranoid worldview (it's bleak, but only briefly referenced)

Keith’s never much liked trimming his nails. It doesn’t really seem very important in the grand scheme of life. It’s not like he has to worry much about breaking or tearing them—he’s scaled cliff-sides with long nails plenty of times. 

But the first time he uses those nails in a fight, his guardians insist the nails have to go. He scrunches tight in the chair as they loom over him, grabbing and manhandling his hands as they take clippers to edges. 

There’s a crack of sound. Mr. Barnett swears and drops the clippers. 

Keith doesn’t understand at first, not until he looks down at where the clippers landed. They’re broken, bent at the joint. He peeks a look at his nails. Barely a dent on them.

\----------------

He remembers his dad used to trim his nails a bit when he was younger. Not short like the fosters want it, but not look-like-a-tiger length either. 

He used a metal file. That was much nicer than any clippers.

\------------------

The fosters aren’t happy with him. They try four different sets of clippers and nothing works. The closest they come is chipping off a sliver of nail as the edge of the clipper bends and blunts.

He’s sent to bed without supper. 

(It’s not like that will make his nails softer, but then, adults never did make sense.)

\-------------------

It’s not even like Keith wants his nails short. The first time his dad filed them too short, Keith didn’t stop crying for a week. (He doesn’t remember this. His dad tells him the story later.)

The second time his dad filed them too short, Keith spends every moment clinging to him and snarling at everyone else.

The third time, his dad finally figures out something’s wrong. Keith’s too young to really explain, but he still remembers what he said: “They’re gonna get me. I can’t fight good now.”

His dad never trims them much ever again.

\---------------------

Keith sneaks out the next night and snitches a metal file from the mechanics shop a block away. He ducks under his bed, curled tight up against the wall, and files down his nails enough to hopefully satisfy the grownups.

He needs his nails if he wants to survive. But going hungry might be the least of his worries if he doesn’t make Mr. Barnett happy and keep them short.

(He tries to ignore the icy chill of constant danger that grows with every bit of nail that disappears.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this one makes me so sad for Keith. I just wanted to cry every time I was looking it over during the revision process. But it also highlights something that I haven't really mentioned that I really should have when I started this fic: This story has an unreliable narrator who is internally biased against himself. I'm writing this through Keith's perspective, and his perspective only, so there are things that are missing or portrayed weirdly because of that. It's nothing major, but it's there.
> 
> A good example of this comes from a comment from MidnightPanda, who pointed out that there are quite a few neurodivergent people with really heightened senses. It's certainly not the average experience, but it exists. This begs the question, I thought to myself later, why does Keith not assume it's just neurodivergency? Long story short, he's got some internalized ableism and prefers to explain most, if not all, of it away on his alien genes once he knows about them. (I'm not really going to explore him coming to terms with his autism (at least not specifically, although certain things coming up later may certainly imply that he's learning to accept it), although that would make a great fic!)
> 
> On another note, this idea wasn't inspired by a Voltron fic at all! Even though I'm sure there are plenty of fun Galra Keith fics where he has or grows claws, my inspiration comes from dragon children's nails in Vathara's story, Embers. It's a really long ATLA fic, but well worth the read if you like world-building, politics, strategy, character development, and mythology. I've never been able to finish it, but I've read the first half three or four times!
> 
> Anyway, if you have comments or questions, I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> Next up: "No one, not even Shiro gets to see Keith at his most emotional. It doesn’t matter if it’s sadness, fear, or joy, Keith refuses to feel fully in the presence of others. He can’t. Not since he can’t stop the noise."


	7. Exhibit G

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one, not even Shiro gets to see Keith at his most emotional. It doesn’t matter if it’s sadness, fear, or joy, Keith refuses to feel fully in the presence of others. He can’t. Not since he can’t stop the noise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pull out the tissues, my dear readers. It's about to get angsty.
> 
> CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: parental figures fighting (briefly referenced), major character death (nothing is shown), unhealthy expressions of grief, and accidental child abandonment

No one, not even Shiro gets to see Keith at his most emotional. It doesn’t matter if it’s sadness, fear, or joy, Keith refuses to feel fully in the presence of others. He can’t. Not since he can’t stop the noise.

It comes softly, faintly, blossoming in Keith’s chest long before even he can hear it. It rumbles in his bones and soothes like a good massage blanket might, easing tense muscles and clenched jaws. When he’s excited, it thrums through him like adrenaline on speed and bubbles in his throat like choked-back giggles.

So he hides behind other feelings. It wouldn’t do for people to hear him purr.

\----------------

This is one of the few weird things that his dad told him to hide from the start. A kindergartener isn’t really the best at hiding these sorts of things, but at least he didn’t interact with people much before his dad’s death.

\----------------

Shiro almost gets to hear his purring. Keith’s never trusted anyone this much since he still had a living parent. Shiro’s the closest thing to family he has and he wants to be able to feel his affection for him fully without worrying about doing something he shouldn’t.

But then Shiro and Adam are fighting, Shiro is leaving for Kerberos, and Keith decides to wait.

He never does get to purr in Shiro’s presence. Not until they’re on their way home.

\----------------

It takes until he’s seven to discover that if he thinks of something that angers or irritates him, it eases the purring emotions enough that they’re only a faint rumble in his bones. It’s not fun, being grumpy all the time, but at least he only has to do that if something comes up during school hours. The rest of the time, he’s with his dad, who has never had a problem with his son’s weirdness.

\---------------------

The emotions that spark purring the most: joy, love, pain, and despair. 

The emotions that people expect to see from a young kid whose only parent just died and left them with strangers: despair, fear, pain, love, and a need for comfort.

\-----------------

(Too bad he’s got to be angry instead.)

\----------------

…..Yeah…. That doesn’t really make him very likable to anyone.

\-----------------

When the Kerberos crash news breaks, Keith spends two whole days hiding on the roof, shaking from the force of his sobs and purrs. Even when he’s too dehydrated to cry, the purrs refuse to stop. 

He just wants Shiro back. He just wants to be held and loved and not abandoned yet again. He can’t even have Adam because Adam went to Europe for a whole year just to get away from Shiro and Kerberos stuff! 

(He just wants to not be alone. He just wants his brother.)

Eventually, desperate for food and water, Keith forces himself to get angry. He focuses his thoughts on the unfairness of the Garrison to select Shiro, the unfairness of Shiro’s illness, Adam’s lack of loyalty, the nerve of the Garrison to spring the news of the crash on him like this.

It builds and burns in him and sustains him through the following week of detentions and tardy work and the Garrison pressuring him to be the next Golden Boy.

He ends up punching Iverson. Ends up expelled. (But at least no one hears him purring.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah... I'm sorry. I hate that I had to write it, but I did. Things have to get worse before they get better. But at least they will get better! 
> 
> I got this idea from a short little oneshot, which I haven't been able to find again to credit. It basically was exploring the premise that, since cats purr to relieve pain and distress in addition when they're happy, if Galra purr, they should purr in those situations too. So it was Keith being angsty and purring while he was upset. I really liked the idea, and thus this chapter was born!
> 
> In other news: we've finished the seven things Keith knows about himself! From now on, it's things others will be noticing instead. :)
> 
> If you've got questions or comments, I'd love to hear them!
> 
> Next up: "...there is no way the Red Paladin would have made it those last two rounds if he wasn’t at least a little Galran... He would have at least broken his collarbone, wrist, and ribs.”


	8. Galra 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...there is no way the Red Paladin would have made it those last two rounds if he wasn’t at least a little Galran in that respect. He would have at least broken his collarbone, wrist, and ribs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are so awesome! In about a week, this fic has become my second most popular fic! (Only 3 more bookmarks until it beats out Do You Trust Me!) Thanks for sticking with me. :)
> 
> CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: a brief reference to mild disturbing imagery, a brief reference to bullying, mentions of a medical misdiagnosis, issues with bodyweight/imagery, unintentionally child neglect/abuse (like... two sentences), and disregard for personal safety/well-being

It’s not until he’s in space that he notices how frequently he shrugs off something the others, even Shiro, might consider worth using a healing pod for. The others notice too, eventually, with odd looks and mutters about how he’s lucky (or, in Lance’s case, showing off).

Honestly, Keith doesn’t know why battles don't faze him like they seem to for the others. It just is.

\------------

As a kid, sometimes the ability to shrug off whatever the other kids gave him was the only way to scare them off. No one wanted to fight the kid that kept getting back up, bloody teeth bared.

\--------------

The Mamora Trials is by far the hardest fight he’s been in. The Blades tower over him and their strikes feel like he’s fighting steel and stone, not flesh and blood. But he has a goal and he won’t stop.

Afterward, he’s reeling from his discovery. His concussion doesn’t help—is twisting his vision and his stomach—so he sits still as Shiro tends to his injuries and helps him back into his armor. They have only ten dobashes until the path opens and they can’t wait for him to rest.

He barely hears the conversation over his head, not until it makes Shiro pause. He rubs his good hand over his eyes and tunes back in.

“What do you mean, Galra hardly ever break bones?” Shiro’s voice sounds skeptical, almost downright suspicious.

“As I said,” the large, tailed one said (Anthop? Anatok? Antok.) “Our bones and muscles are denser than most other sentient species. We can handle blows that would crush others easily.”

“All the same, that doesn’t mean Keith shouldn’t get checked over, just in case.”

Antok tipped his head in acknowledgment. “Of course. However, based on the data Ulaz gave us on human biology, there is no way the Red Paladin would have made it those last two rounds if he wasn’t at least a little Galran in that respect. He would have at least broken his collarbone, wrist, and ribs.”

\-----------------

The doctors used to wonder why he was overweight when he didn’t look like it. The good homes, the ones that acted like they cared, would put him on diet after exercise program after diet. Nothing helped.

\--------------

Sometimes Keith wonders if he’d be taller if he’d just been allowed to eat like he wanted.

\----------------

He worries Shiro so badly whenever he gets hurt. His brother seems to think that something is wrong with him for shrugging it off, but honestly, it hardly ever is something to worry about. Yeah, once he broke his arm in three places. But most of the time it’s bruises and dislocations and sprains. No one needs to worry about that. He can work through injuries like those.

\-----------------

A couple months later, Lance pulls him aside and asks if he knows how to swim. “With your density the way it is, you’ve probably got to be good if you want to stay afloat for a while. Actual floating might not work.”

Keith blinks at him, still lost in the next steps to try and find Shiro. This...is really nice of Lance to think of. He nods once and hesitates, thinking.

“I know some basics, but I’m not really very good.”

“That’s okay,” Lance declares with a grin that doesn’t meet his eyes. “How about we practice for half a varga each day?”

“I really should—”

Lance clutches at his wrist as he tries to back away. “Shiro would want you to be safe, okay? Practicing swimming is doing just that. Plus,” he adds after a pause, “we can brainstorm while we swim! Exercise is supposed to get the blood pumping and the ideas flowing, right? We’ll find Shiro in no time!”

There isn’t a reason Keith can think of to refute that. He shrugs and concedes his loss. It looks like Lance is taking him swimming.

\------------

No wonder Red takes to Lance so well. He was made to be someone’s second.

(Or their leader.)

\--------------

And if he starts shielding the others just a bit more than usual, that’s his business, not theirs. He’s not losing his team (his family), not if he can help it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea came about while reading a bunch of fics about Galra Keith. A common trend was that he was much stronger, faster, or more agile than a human. Those are all cool ideas, but I've got the feeling that people would have noticed something was up with Keith if that was the case. A kid might be willing to hide something that will make them weird or get them teased, but usually being really strong, fast, or agile are seen as good things by kids because those are superheroes' or awesome sportspeople's abilities. He'd have been more tempted to use them and given something away.
> 
> ...Durability on the other hand... That's more subtle, but still really useful to a predator/warring race. If he's more durable, the most people will think is that he doesn't really feel pain, they didn't hit him hard enough, or he's got some sort of supernatural protection. They won't think superhero, mutant, or alien. 
> 
> No, this doesn't make him harder to kill. It just means blunt force trauma and major internal bleeding are not likely to be the things that put him in a healing pod. He's also much less likely to get a concussion.
> 
> Let me know what you think! I'd love to answer any questions or comments you have. :)
> 
> Next up: "Things with Krolia come to a head a few days later. When he looks back, he’ll never remember what she was trying to teach him this time, but he remembers exploding, yelling at her for coddling him, for treating him like a kid, for thinking she could make up for all the horrible years that she wasn’t there."


	9. Galra 102

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things with Krolia come to a head a few days later. When he looks back, he’ll never remember what she was trying to teach him this time, but he remembers exploding, yelling at her for coddling him, for treating him like a kid, for thinking she could make up for all the horrible years that she wasn’t there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are so AWESOME! This is now my most popular fic! I'm mentally hugging you all. :)
> 
> On another note, this is the chapter that most blatantly addresses Keith's autism. I myself am a self-diagnosed autistic, but I know my experiences, especially with dealing with ableism, have been incredibly tame compared to most autistics' experiences. If I accidentally portray something wrong, please, please let me know. I don't want to misrepresent autism. 
> 
> CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: ableism, internalized ableism, implications of child soldiers, possible disregard for personal boundaries (it's not made clear if the closeness is what's making the person uncomfortable or if it's something else), possible body dysphoria (maybe?), mild paranoia, and adults accidentally pressuring a kid toward certain choices/actions

Krolia is acting weird. They’ve been on this space whale for a couple of weeks now, and, while they’re still not very comfortable with each other, they’ve seen enough time flashes that they know too much about each other to be anything as simple as teammates or acquaintances. But they’re not really friends, barely even family.

So the way she’s never afraid to get in his space, to pat his shoulder, ruffle his hair, guide his movements during spars or training, is not right. He doesn’t know her, not yet, not enough to be able to predict her, not enough to feel truly safe with her so far in his space.

Worse, she’s always trying to teach him things. Yeah, Keith knows that she’s a thousand times more likely to know how to handle things in space than he would, but it feels smothering. Like she sees him less like a teammate and more of a charge. 

(He’s had more than enough well-meaning guardians. He can look after himself.)

\----------------------

Keith is six when he gets diagnosed with autism. It probably would have been earlier, but his dad never seems terribly worried about the fact that Keith developed at all the wrong times. 

The diagnosis makes even new teachers who haven’t learned he’s weird yet treat him like he’s a little baby, but his dad never does. He says it doesn’t change a thing, it only gives Keith tools to use.

\--------------------

According to his second social worker, the stupid word also makes him “problematic for adoption.”

(That’s because his dad was the only grownup who isn’t a jerk.)

\-------------------

Things with Krolia come to a head a few days later. When he looks back, he’ll never remember what she was trying to teach him this time, but he remembers exploding, yelling at her for coddling him, for treating him like a kid, for thinking she could make up for all the horrible years that she wasn’t there.

He’ll also always remember the look on her face. Although she’s not the most expressive person, the sadness in her eyes and the furrow of her brows made it clear that he’s somehow messed up, misunderstood.

“My apologies, Keith.” She dips her head, ears twitching low. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like that. While I would very much like to be a mother to you, I don’t presume to think that you would accept me as such so easily. I was merely attempting to treat you as any decent Galra would when teaching a promising youngster.”

Keith bristles. “I’m not a kid!”

Krolia blinks. “But...you are. Galra don’t reach full maturity until they’re thirty-five decapheebs old, and even hybrids typically inherit that particular trait.”

“Well, it didn’t happen for me.” Keith crosses his arms and glowers at her. “I’m just about eighteen now, okay? Not a kid.” 

Krolia tilts her head. “When I first discovered I was pregnant with you, I did plenty of research on human development. I wanted to make sure that I knew what sort of possibilities might occur if you took after your father more than me. 

“I don’t remember much about what the older adolescent years are like, but are you sure you’ve never had areas of unexpected development that didn’t line up with what was expected?”

Keith hesitates.

\----------------------

He was walking by four months old. 

He didn’t learn to speak until he was five. (His weird childhood clicking language doesn’t count.)

\----------------------

So, Galra apparently mature physically faster than mentally. He’s a fifteen-year-old walking around in an eighteen-year-old body.

\--------------------

(In his darkest moments, he wonders what Shiro and the others would do with that information.)

His mother at least respects that he’s already a fighter and she doesn’t try to stop him.

\--------------------

The next time she scolds him for impulsiveness, she makes a point to acknowledge that he’s young enough that it’s expected. She tells him it’s okay to act his Galran age. 

It’s a...relief, to be honest. He has time to mature some more, to be the patient person Shiro wants him to be.

\-------------

It doesn’t stop the lectures, though. His mom expects him to be willing to learn, even if she never faults him for his flaws.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if it wasn't clear, I'm basically implying that a decent amount of Keith's impulsiveness comes from being younger mentally than physically. That doesn't negate his autism diagnosis, since I headcanon that young Galra still tend to speak younger than Keith did, but they only speak to those outside their families until they're old enough to kind of understand abstract concepts. 
> 
> The clicking language (which is rarely the same from family to family) is just for those they're really close to since it would require more knowledge of each kid's personalities and ways of communicating. (There are some commonalities in the sounds, so if a little kid is really distressed, any adult will be able to tell, but they might not understand nearly enough.)
> 
> (The other reasons Keith is impulsive are mainly that he's a super instinctive person...and, well... he's not really good at relying on others, so it's less impulsiveness and more a lack of proper communication.)
> 
> This idea came from a bunch of fics that speculated on how long Galra live and what that would look like for someone of mixed species. However, pretty much all the ones that have Keith younger than his human age tend to make him a lot (and I mean A LOT) younger mentally and it's honestly a little weird to me. Like, Keith's a pretty good soldier, pilot, and leader. Kids as young as those fics portray Keith as typically can't mentally handle all of those things that Keith seems to handle okay. It's a little creepy to infantilize him like that. 
> 
> Anyway, that's my thoughts on this chapter. Let me know what you think! (And stay tuned tomorrow for the last chapter, which is one of my favorites!)
> 
> Next up: "Krolia doesn’t kill the other paladins for their teasing, but it’s a close thing. They haven't shut up about it for a week, and sometimes Keith just has to walk away from the comms and let Black fly herself so he can vent his frustrations."


	10. Galra 201

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Krolia doesn’t kill the other paladins for their teasing, but it’s a close thing. They haven't shut up about it for a week, and sometimes Keith just has to walk away from the comms and let Black fly herself so he can vent his frustrations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, y'all! Thanks so much for sticking with me on this fic. It means a lot to me that my headcanons resonate with so many people. :)
> 
> CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: accidental invasion of a person's space (it's done subconsciously, there's no ill intent), brief implications of a paranoid mentality and fear/distrust of adults, unhealthy coping mechanisms, unintentional bullying/microaggressions and speciesism, and implied child neglect/abandonment.

On the way back to Earth, the paladins jump at any chance to spend the night on-planet rather than cramped in the holds of the Lions. Keith doesn’t mind this, since he’s gotten used to sleeping in mostly outdoor conditions. What he _does_ regret is waking up to the sound of Lance’s muffled laughter and Hunk and Allura’s _awwwwws_. 

He lifts his face from where he has it buried in his wolf-friend’s fur. The other paladins and Romelle are all staring at him like he’s some sort of cuddly Arusian or something. Why?

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he sits up and looks around. His mom stirs a bit and wraps her arm tighter around his waist, but she hasn’t started twitching her nose, so she’s still asleep. There’s nothing different about her, or his wolf-friend, so why would...Oh.

_Oh._ Oh, no.

Lance is going to tease him forever.

\------------------

When the Blades first ask him if he needs to bring a friend or teammate to bunk with him, Keith just about dies. Of mortification. But seriously, there’s no way these huge warriors should look so comfortable asking if he needs a _sleeping buddy_. 

He says no, of course.

They nod and move on with only a comment about how he could change his mind at any time.

\-----------------

He doesn’t. He isn’t a kid afraid of the dark anymore.

\-----------------

He’s right. Lance and the others don’t let it go.

(At least, not until Krolia’s ready to kick their butts.)

\-----------------

On the whale, Krolia politely asks if she can sleep next to him. It’s weird. He doesn’t know what to say, but the cave they’re staying in is pretty small, so he doesn’t refuse.

He wakes up in the morning with her arm wrapped around him. 

\-----------------

He doesn’t look her in the eye that day.

\---------------

Back when he first met Shiro, the older pilot would try to ruffle his hair and give him hugs. Keith got used to tolerating them. 

It...was nice. Letting someone in his space who would have his back.

\-----------------

After his explosion at his mom for “treating him like a kid,” he expects her to sleep farther away. She doesn’t.

In the morning, he asks her why, points out that only kids cuddle with their parents like that, that adults don’t do that. He doesn’t get much farther in his rant because her brows have risen almost to her hairline in her surprise and confusion.

“What?” he snaps.

“I knew humans got a bit strange about physical closeness, but I didn’t realize it was that different,” she comments, then shakes her head a bit and straightens. “Galra are a species that requires plenty of physical closeness, as we are a pack species. It doesn’t matter the age, gender, generation, or relation. If you are close enough to trust them to protect you when you sleep, you are close enough to sleep beside them.”

“Oh,” he mutters, shrinking down a little. “I, uh, didn’t know that.”

“Did Kolivan not offer for one of your friends to bunk with you when you joined?”

Keith blinks. “Is _that_ why they offered?”

“Yes. While not every hybrid inherits that instinct, it is a strong one, especially if the other parent’s species is also a pack species. Your father told me that humans are, so you likely have that instinct too.”

“An instinct to get _cuddled_?”

“An instinct that requires physical proof that you have a pack to protect and care for you. Since sleep and sickness are when you are usually most vulnerable, our instincts demand someone be physically close so we can let down our guard to rest and recover.”

Keith swallows. This explains so much.

\-------------

His fosters never did understand why he hid when he was sick.

\-----------------

Shiro and Adam were at least nice enough to stay close the one time they caught him being sick. It didn’t quite kill the urge to hide, but it helped.

\----------------

Krolia doesn’t kill the other paladins for their teasing, but it’s a close thing. They haven't shut up about it for a week, and sometimes Keith just has to walk away from the comms and let Black fly herself so he can vent his frustrations. 

(He’s the leader; he can’t get mad at them. He’s got to be patient.)

Shiro looks amused at the whole thing, but Krolia watches him with a soul-searching stare. He knows she’s seeing the anxiety and wariness, the way he hesitates now. Her stern face makes it clear how she feels about it.

(He hates being torn between two worlds. He can’t be both, not like this.)

At their next camping spot, things come to a head. They’re about to bed down and Keith is putting it off as long as he can. He knows the sorts of teasing that’ll come when he lays down.

A stray comment from Hunk, though, turns the frustration into an inferno that sinks into his bones. He just wants to be himself. But he bites back the fire, knowing that Hunk means well. He doesn’t smell malicious at all.

Krolia, on the other hand, snarls. “I was under the impression that paladins were supposed to build one another up, not make them feel unaccepted.”

Hunk sputters an apology and everyone else perks up in curiosity. 

“I must agree. I don’t understand why this is something to be teased about,” Allura comments. “Keith finally feels comfortable to have a pack. That is a good thing, yes?”

“A pack?” Pidge asks.

Krolia explains and the other teens stare at Keith.

“Yeah,” Lance says slowly, “I can’t really see Keith being a cuddly, trusting person. No offense, buddy.”

Keith scowls at him.

Krolia sighs. “That is exactly the point. Galran instincts don’t let outsiders to the pack close. We don’t sleep around them, don’t let them know much of what we’re feeling, don’t let them get too close. We’ll make exceptions for allies on occasion, but that is minimal.”

“Yeah, _that_ sounds like Keith,” Lance states.

Coran hums. “Actually, most Galra are much more friendly than Keith. Even the ones that were talking to complete strangers! In fact...hmmm… well, that’s actually…” He trails off, blinking at Keith.

“What.” Keith growls.

“Only young packless Galra, or ones that have faced traumatic pack decimation, are as distrustful or standoffish as you were at first.” He hesitates. “But you did have a pack on Earth, yes?”

“Uh,” Keith mutters. “Shiro and Adam, I guess.” Shiro scoots over and slings his arm around his shoulders. 

Everyone pauses. Keith waits for the questions he can see in their eyes, wondering where his dad was, where other people were. They say nothing for a long moment.

He tenses. He knows Pidge will want to know where the line between pack and not-pack is, Hunk will want to know about his friends and family, Lance will make jokes about how heartless he is. He’s braced and ready for it.

“Well,” Lance declares, breaking the silence like a firecracker in the middle of the night. “We’re your pack now. And we’ll go home and introduce you to our families and they can be pack too if you want.”

The other paladins start chattering away at this thought and Keith has to stop and breathe. They’re not mocking him for needing this. They’re not put off by his weird instincts.

\-------------------

They end up in a huge cuddle pile every time they camp after that. It’s the warmest and safest that Keith has ever been.

\------------------

He eventually tells them about some of the other weirdness he’s inherited. They’re fascinated.

(Lance is weirdly jealous of the hair colors, though. Keith doesn’t get why.)

\-----------------

Shiro pulls him to his side a few weeks later and holds him close. 

“I’m proud of you, little bro,” he murmurs. “It takes a lot of bravery to acknowledge yourself and what you need. You’ve grown so much.”

Keith leans into his hold and _purrs_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go! The End. Everyone goes home where Adam is waiting for his fiance and pseudo-son and their human/alien pack and they defeat Sendak. Season eight never happens and everyone lives happily ever after! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the fic! If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear them. (And if you have art or fics inspired by this, let me know. I want to see them! And I'll link them to this fic somehow so others can see them too!)


End file.
